Taleggio

As promised, here is that fabulously stinky Taleggio that I promised, schlepped all the way from Cheesetique in Washington, D.C. to my house in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Taleggio is an Italian cheese with a particularly strong aroma, but its flavor is surprisingly mild with an unusual fruity tang. The rind is thin and studded with salt crystals, which you will be able to see in the photo below. I asked the cheesemonger for something particularly flavorful and stinky, and she gave me a taste of this. I was surprised by the tangy and fruity essence. While it wasn’t as flavorful as I was expecting, right away I thought it would be great on crackers or even a turkey sandwich.

So, Taleggio is a semi-soft, washed-rind cheese from the Val Taleggio region (hence its name) in northern Italy. The texture of the cheese – when served at room temperature as it should be – is almost oozy with a nice melt-in-your-mouth feel. Be sure not to serve this right from the fridge: it’ll be a hard block of stink with very little flavor. Also, eat it right away! I let this sit in my fridge for just a couple days once I got home, and let’s just say, woah. The paper it was wrapped in even made my garbage get a little funky. But don’t let this scare you!! The delicious combination of the soft texture, pungent aroma, and buttery flavors was perfect on fresh bread and on herb crackers. Taleggio would pair well with Italian wines, of course, but it would really go nicely with a wide range of reds and whites, as well.